‘Zombie Batteries’ Pose Fire Risk As E-Bike And E-Scooter Owners Urged To Dispose Responsibly

• Nearly a third of e-bike and e-scooter owners have disposed of their e-bike or e-scooter batteries in general waste bins
• Experts urge owners to ‘not play with fire’ and dispose of their batteries safely this Global Recycling Day

• Charity is calling for enhanced national regulation for recycling to reduce fires from incorrect disposal of batteries

E-bike and e-scooter owners are being urged to ‘not play with fire’ and dispose of their batteries safely, as research highlights some owners’ worrying disposal habits.

A survey of 1,000 e-bike and e-scooter owners by consumer safety charity Electrical Safety Firstreveals nearly a third (32%) have disposed of an old e-bike or e-scooter battery in a general waste bin.

Batteries incorrectly dumped in the general waste system can cause ferocious fires in refuse trucks and waste centres, whilst releasing toxic fumes into the air.

As the world marks Global Recycling Day, Electrical Safety First is calling on owners to take greater care when disposing of batteries, following a spate of fires caused by incorrect disposal in the general waste system.

Safe disposal of batteries

Dead batteries, also known as ‘zombie batteries’, can cause serious fires if thrown away with general waste or mixed with other recycling.

When your general rubbish or recycling is collected, zombie batteries are often squashed, compacted, punctured, shredded or soaked in liquids. This can cause certain types of batteries to overheat or ignite, leading to fires that threaten lives, risking millions of pounds of damage and disruption to waste services.

Even if they don’t start a fire, damaged zombie batteries release harmful chemicals and materials that can damage the environment if not recycled responsibly.

“Dead batteries thrown away with general rubbish or mixed with other recycling can be dangerous to refuse workers and start serious fires that can impact local communities,” Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, commented. “You can reduce the risk by recycling them at your local waste recycling centre or larger shops, like supermarkets. Some local councils also offer kerbside battery or small electrical waste collection services, making safe disposal even easier.”

A recent incident in Tower Hamlets saw flames coming from the back of a waste disposal truck after an e-bike battery was incorrectly disposed of. A separate incident recorded in November last year saw a recycling centre in Blackpool devastated after a suspected e-bike or e-scooter was incorrectly disposed of.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Prevention & Protection Richard Field at London Fire Brigade, said: “Lithium-ion batteries and electricals with hidden lithium-ion batteries should not be placed in the same bins as your regular rubbish or recycling. Instead, check with the retailer or your local authority’s website for the safest way to dispose of lithium-ion batteries in your area and reduce the risk of fires occurring.

“Lithium-ion battery fires are a major risk. We’ve seen a growing number of fires at waste disposal sites that are believed to have been caused by a lithium battery.

“Although lithium-ion battery products that have been built to a poor standard are a higher fire risk, any battery is at risk of exploding and catching fire if it has been crushed or becomes damaged. Lithium-ion battery fires can be ferocious and can spread in seconds.

“Fires that we attend at sites like recycling centres and scrap yards can be very time-consuming for our firefighters and often require a high level of resources to put the fire out. We’ve also seen the detrimental environmental and societal impact these fires can have on local communities.”

Calls for better regulation

Electrical Safety First has been campaigning for stronger regulation of products that can pose a risk to public health and safety if they are substandard – such as e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries.

The charity is calling for the introduction of more prominent markings on batteries, to make it clearer they should not be disposed of in the general waste. These include cell chemistry, how to dispose of batteries safely and warnings of the dangers of not disposing responsibly.

Giuseppe Capanna comments: “We urge the Government to introduce enhanced national regulation for recycling to reduce the incidence of fires from the incorrect disposal of batteries, such as more prominent markings on batteries, to help reduce the risk posed by battery fires.”